A Place of My Own
by BethDixon95
Summary: Beth leaves home and purchases an acreage of her own, getting lost one day, Daryl finds her in the woods and saves her, but he just wants to be left alone and Beth doesn't know why. Get ready for some Bethyl. This is one of my favourite works and I would appreciate comments, thank you!
1. Chapter 1

Beth was a small town girl; she'd grown up with a strong passion for horses, riding any chance she got, and ditching parties for horse shows. Beth never had a boyfriend before, she thought horses were all she needed; she found a happiness in them that was hard to explain. When she finally had the opportunity to buy a farm of her own and leave that small drag of a town at 20 years old, she jumped on it.

Beth squealed with joy as the realtor handed her the title. "Finally a place of my own! I can't wait to bring the horses here." She'd been boarding her horses at a stable half hour out of town, and was giddy at the thought they'd be right outside her back door in no time. On top of the long drive out there whenever she wanted to go riding, she hated the barn drama that accompanied keeping her horses there. Beth was never one for drama; she wanted to ride and that was it. She was even growing out of the 'showing' part of horses, as she didn't like the competitiveness that came with it. Her real joy was throwing a saddle on one of her horses and hitting the forest for an adventure. She'd come back with many things on her adventures, antler sheds, deer skulls, one time she even found an antique tobacco container. She displayed them all in her room, and soon they'd decorate her quaint little farm house.

The house on the farm was an older model, tiny, white, square, two story building. The realtor said it had been built in 1934. It was nice; exactly what Beth had always dreamed of. The house was perfect for a single person, yet big enough to eventually house a small family. The yard was beautiful; it had 4 separate paddocks, along with a twenty-acre pasture, a big barn, a smaller animal shelter, and a big empty quonset, she imagined it used to store equipment. She envisioned turning that into a riding arena someday.

The realtor, a tall, slim, brown haired man, said his final goodbyes and wished her luck, then proceeded to his black BMW and skidded his tires a bit before heading down her long driveway and leaving the country-side. Even though Beth had seen the house multiple times, she couldn't wait to be in there on her own and have a look at it again.

She ran into the house, and checked out every room again. As you entered the main door, you came into a cute, small porch, already furnished with a washer and dryer, that had a small bathroom attached to it containing a small shower, toilet and sink. Turning to your left you entered the kitchen, it was cute, with wooden counters and cupboards. There were porch doors in the kitchen by a wooden dining table, and to the right you entered the living room, the floor had just been redone and was a dark brown hardwood. Straight from the living room the stairs led upstairs, in which there were 3 bedrooms, and a small bathroom containing the smallest bathtub Beth had ever seen, a sink and toilet. She had already picked out which bedroom would be hers, and decided she'd use the other rooms for storage.

Beth realized she should have brought some of her stuff with her, at least a change of clothes, as she would have loved to stay in her new place already, but she had forgotten so she would go back to her parents place tonight, and load up her truck in the morning and bring some stuff out to the farm.

Her dad, Hershel, and stepmother, Patricia lived in a quiet little town just twenty minutes from where she'd bought the farm. Beth had never been one for socializing or going out much anyways, so she'd spent most of her childhood at the stables riding horses. Her dad Hershel was a veterinarian so he was at the stables a lot too, probably what drew her into horses in the first place. Hershel was a man of fair age, he was closing in on 70, and nearing his retirement, though he still worked at the vet clinic three days a week. Beth urged him to retire, but in most ways she knew he loved doing what he did. Helping animals was his passion, if he stopped he'd most likely go into a depression or not know what to do with his life and dwindle away.

Beth's stepmother, Patricia, was a nice younger lady, around forty-five. Patricia had been working as a cleaner at the stable Beth had been riding at, when her dog got kicked by a horse. Hershel had been there with Beth and assisted Patricia in keeping Lucky alive, took him to the vet clinic and saved his life. From there on the two clicked and they married four months later. Beth was only about six then, she thought of Patricia as her own mother now. Her real mother had committed suicide when she was three, Hershel found her laying on the bathroom floor with her wrists slit by the glass of a smashed mirror. Neither Beth nor Hershel had any real ideas on what would cause a woman to end her life so suddenly. In Hershel's eyes she was a happy lady, and had all she could ask for.

Beth locked her little house up, got in her truck and started the drive to town. She couldn't wait to go to the stable, load her horses up and bring them out here, she planned to do it tomorrow if she had time, but it might have to wait until the next day, she thought. She was tired when she finally seen the lights of town approaching, the twenty minute drive seemed longer today.

Beth parked on the street, as not to block her parents vehicles in the driveway. She hopped out of her truck and slammed the door without even bothering to lock the doors, she never did. She walked up the driveway and entered the house, the smell of roasted chicken in the air, mixed with some sort of berry pie. 'Just in time!' She thought, and laughed. Beth loved Patricia's cooking.

"Hi daddy." Beth said when she seen Hershel.

"Hi honey, how did it go today?" He asked.

Beth reached into her purse and grabbed the deed to the house and a set of keys, squealed and jumped up and down. "I'm so proud of you honey, I knew you'd get it!" Hershel smiled, and Beth ran over to hug him.

"That's great Beth!" Patricia chimed in as she set a large, steaming chicken onto the table. She then went back to the kitchen and placed a pie into the oven.

"I seriously cannot wait to get the horses out there! The yard is fantastic, they are gonna love it! So much open space to run, and the forest! There's so many places to ride!" Beth went on and on.

After the three of them had a delicious three course meal, Beth said her goodnights and went into her room. She looked around and thought, 'this is it, after tomorrow, this is no longer my room'. She was sad and happy all at once, and laughed at the idea of her parents adopting a child to replace her, then began stuffing her clothing into boxes. She put all her trail treasures, her antlers, the tobacco can, into a big box and marked that for her living room. She was going to display these items.

The next morning Beth's alarm rang at 6am just when she set it for, she got up and threw on some dirty jeans and decided she would go pick up her horses today. If she was moving in, so were they.

"Do you need any help at the stable, Bethy?" Hershel asked sweetly.

"Oh no daddy, I'll be fine. Sasha will be there to help me if I need." She smiled. Sasha was the stable manager, and one of Beth's best friends.

"Okay hun, call if you need me, you know I'll be there." He assured her.

"I will, daddy!" Beth said as she hauled one of her boxes out to her truck. She couldn't take as much stuff out to the farm as she wanted, cause her horse trailer would take up most of the room in her box, but she didn't care.

Once she decided her truck was full enough, she said goodbye to her parents and hopped up into the cab of her big Ford truck, and proceeded in the direction of the stable. The drive there seemed long as well, as she was anxious to load her babies and bring them out to the farm.

When she finally arrived, Sasha was out front lunging a horse, and waved to Beth. Beth backed into her horse trailer and began hooking it up. Just as she was jacking it down Sasha wandered with a sad look on her face.

"I can't believe you're leaving," she pouted, "you've been here for so long, we're practically family."

"I know, and I'm gonna miss you all so much, but it's not like I'm gonna be very far away, we'll still go riding together! Maybe I'll ride over, haha." Beth laughed.

"Now that would be a trek, what is it, like a 45 minute drive?!" Sasha chuckled.

"You'll see!" Beth stuck her tongue out and grabbed her halters out of her trailers tack room. "I'm gonna go catch my boys.. and girl! I'll catch you before I leave!" She headed towards the pasture. Her horses had a pasture to themselves, seeing as she kept four of them there.

As Beth entered the pasture and closed the gate behind her, she whistled and all four heads popped up and looked in her direction. A couple moments thinking and they all trotted over to her, looking for their treat. "I don't have any oats for you guys today," She told them. "we have a new home, I'm taking you guys there today, you'll love it!" She smiled.

Beth haltered her four gentle beasts and led them all at once to her trailer, and loaded them with ease. She was latching the trailer door when Sasha yelled at her from the barn. "C'mere!"

Beth strolled over to the barn to meet Sasha. "I told you I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye." She rolled her eyes. "Who's this handsome man?!" She noticed the tall, bay horse Sasha was holding.

"Newest client horse, I have him for three months, he's a hunter." She winked. "Perfecting his jumps, and exposing him to new obstacles and territory. Ugh, I love him, isn't he a hunk?" Sasha gawked.

"He sure is a beauty, but I'll stick to my chunky quarter horses." Beth chuckled. "Well, I guess I'm off. Can't wait to turn my beauties out into their new pasture!"

"Can I come visit soon?" Sasha asked.

"Of course, drop by anytime! We've got some forest exploring to do!" Beth answered as she turned to make her way to her truck.

"See ya chicky!" Sasha said a final farewell.

Beth hopped into her truck and tuned the radio to her favourite country station, then proceeded out the stables gates. She made the fair drive to her new home, and parked near the pasture gate, then began unloading her horses and letting them into the pasture one by one.

First, was her little cutting horse, Lena, he was three years old and Beth had had him since birth and done all his training. He was a red dun quarter horse with a big white face and white patch on his belly, along with two white back stockings.

Second, her grey gelding Silver, he had been used for roping and cutting in a previous part of his life, but she enjoyed using him as a good trail horse now.

Third, her big Arabian gelding Jinx, he was her main using horse, he was four years old and she was started to use him full time; so much she felt she was neglecting the other horses. She let them out to run in the pasture and decided to tie the last one to her trailer; her mare and the mother of Lena, Panda. She was a nice sized quarter horse, Beth used for everything; cutting, roping, trail riding. They were going for a ride.

Beth saddled up Panda, and noticed she had forgotten her bridles at the stables, so she decided to just ride in a halter, she'd done it before. Beth mounted her trusty steed and headed west, toward the forest!

There was a little trail in the bush, that had once been nicely worn down but now the bush was overgrowing in it and the grass was growing tall. Beth stuck to that trail, always on guard for branches smacking her in the face. Panda was getting a little excited, being so far away from the other horses.

"It's okay girl, we'll be back there soon, then I promise you can run around the pasture with your buddies." Beth spoke to her horse.

They reached a clearing in the bush and Beth saw the opportunity to burn some steam off of Panda, she clucked and galloped her on! They ran through a large meadow, Panda giving it all she had, the wind streaming through Beth's hair until they reached some more bush and Beth slowed her down, this time the path even smaller than before. Beth decided to try it, she was out here to explore, not chicken out.

They rode down the turkey trail of a path slowly, Panda sure-footedly avoiding fallen trees and branches. Pretty soon the path dwindled down to nothing more than the crowded trees of the forest itself, and the pair were weaving themselves in and out, trying to find a path or clearing.

Beth guessed they'd been bush crawling for about thirty minutes now, and was beginning to think the forest went on forever, and debated turning around. 'Ten more minutes.' She thought. 'We'll make it through this!' Beth thought once she made it out of the forest, she'd find a road and the ride home would be easy.

They were approaching a small, fast running creek when a twinkle of light caught Beth's attention in the water. Fascinated, she dismounted and looped Panda's reins around a tree branch, and proceeded down to the stream to see what her mystery object was. She had to walk into the water, filling her cowboy boots up in the process, only to discover her mystery object was nothing but a piece of a plastic wrapper. "God damn litter!" Beth cursed. She continued looking into the stream to see if anything else would catch her eye.

Panda was getting impatient and pawing at the ground. "Settle down, girl, I'll be right there." She assured her horse. Beth walked down the stream, carefully eyeing the water. The mare reared up, knocking her reins off the branch in the process, and bolted back in the direction they came. "WOAH GIRL!" Beth yelled, but to no avail. The mare kept running, desperate to get back to her herd mates.

"Well this is just great, you stupid horse! How am I supposed to get home now?!" Beth yelled, and as her horse disappeared out of sight, she realized how completely alone she was, in the middle of the forest, just her and whatever creatures lurked here. Her brain sparked and she pulled out her cell phone, just as she was about to dial her pa's number, the light went out and her phone died. "Are you kidding me? What else can go wrong?" She moaned.

Rudderless and with no other options, she proceeded to walk in the direction her horse ran off in, hoping she could retrace their steps back home. Beth had been walking for what she assumed was half an hour, and nothing looked familiar. She couldn't find any hoof prints, or other clues that this was the right direction. She kept going in hopes she would find her way anyway.

The sun was beginning to set and Beth began to worry she wasn't going to find her way home before dark. She approached a large tree and decided it would be worth a shot to climb it and see if she could see anything familiar, or better yet, her house. Beth jumped up to reach the first branch, barely making it, she swung herself up to get to the next branch. Now she was in the tree, about ten feet off the ground. She kept climbing, until she was as high as she could get. Beth poked her head above the branches, only to see nothing but surrounding forest in all directions.

'Well, I'm officially lost. I'm going to die out in the woods, hungry and alone'. Her stomach growled at that thought.

Beth decided she would be safer up in the tree overnight, unless, of course, a bear decided to climb it and eat her. She sat on a large branch, hung her head and tears began to form in her eyes.

"Stupid, stupid stupid. Why would I go for a ride by myself the very first day?! How stupid can I be?" Beth asked herself and sobbed. She heard a rustle in the bush, and prepared for a black bear to climb up the tree and devour her. As it got closer she looked down only to see a man, with long brown hair, carrying some sort of bow on his back, with squirrels hanging from a string tied to him walking at a steady pace.

The man was just walking under her tree when she yelled, "HEY!" Beth cursed her quick actions before thinking about the consequences. What if he was some sort of serial killer?! The mystery man squinted and looked around, finally shifting his gaze to her sitting up in the tree.

Beth was still, for a moment hoping he didn't see her, but at the same time hoping he was there to rescue her. 'Oh ya they sent some deranged hillbilly hunter to rescue me?!' She laughed at the thought.

"Why are ya' in a tree?" The man sounded very confused, not even sure he was seeing this right. "Do ya' need help?"

Beth was silent.

"My boyfriend is on his way, I thought you might have been him." She said, stuck on the idea this man was a murderer.

"Okay." The man said with a rough voice and continued walking in the direction he was originally headed.

"Wait!" Beth yelled, as he was almost out of yelling distance. She decided she had to take the chance.

The strange man stopped and turned around, "ya?"

"I do need help, I'm lost." Beth admitted.

"Why didn' ya' say so?" He asked in a husky voice, turning around to walk in her direction. When he got to the tree he took his bow off his back and untied the squirrels from his side. "Can ya' get down?"

"Yeah I can." Beth started to descend the tree, still unsure whether it was a good idea to be lost in the woods with a strange man. She neared the bottom and struggled with the last branch, hanging three feet from the ground, she felt the wind blowing on her midriff as her shirt bunched, finally plopping to the ground, landing on her knees.

"Are ya' okay?" The man said without stepping closer to her.

"I'm fine," Beth said, standing up and dusting off her pants. "I'm Beth, you?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Daryl," He said in his husky voice, then added, "Dixon."

Beth had heard about the Dixon boys, though she had never seen or met them in person. Suddenly she had a bad feeling in her stomach, thinking of all the stories she'd heard about the Dixons. According to some people, the dad overdosed on alcohol and died in front of his two boys in their trailer, and she'd heard one of the brothers was currently in jail for theft and drug dealing. Everyone in the area said the Dixons were no good trouble makers and gave the town a bad name. Beth had never even seen a Dixon before, nor knew where they lived, so she just passed off the stories as fictional rumours.

Daryl grabbed his stuff and began walking in the direction he was originally headed without saying another word to Beth. She hesitantly followed him.

"Where are we going?" Beth asked.

"M'cabin," Daryl said, "got any other suggestions?"

"Well how am I getting home!?" Beth panicked

"M'cabin is the closest place, unless you wan' ta' bypass it and walk ta' your house?"

Still unsure of what to do, Beth just quietly followed along. They walked for about 15 minutes, and it was getting eerily dark when they reached a little wooden shack Beth would hardly call a 'cabin'.

"This is your cabin?" Beth crooked an eyebrow.

Daryl ignored her and went inside, Beth stayed outside waiting still waiting for him to be some kind of psycho murderer. He came out seconds later lacking his crossbow and the squirrels that were hanging from his side. 'Oh great, he's got a gun.' Beth had strange thoughts running through her head. But the strange man proceeded over to a motorbike without even glancing at Beth.

Daryl began fidgeting with things on the bike, he'd try to start it, then adjust some more stuff, and try again. After a few failed attempts, the bike finally fired up. Daryl made one final adjustment and then went and sat on the step.

"What are you doing?" Beth asked him.

"Gotta wait for it ta' warm up, or it'll die out again." Daryl mumbled.

Beth didn't want to believe it, she didn't even want to think it, but she knew she was going to have to ride on that bike with this strange man she had just met in the woods if she wanted to get home.

Daryl butted his cigarette out on the step, walked over to the bike and straddled it. He revved it up for a second then looked over at Beth. "Do you want a ride home or not?"

Beth frowned, bit her lip and hesitantly walked over to Daryl and the bike, then awkwardly straddled it behind him. "What do I hang on to?" She asked.

"You'll figure it out" Daryl mumbled, then revved the bike and skidded off.

Almost launching off the back of the bike, Beth flung her arms around Daryl's waist, embracing his black leather vest that sported angel wings. "I'm sorry." She spat out, releasing her tight grip. She thought she heard something in reply but couldn't make it out, so she just stayed quiet, with her barely-there grip on his vest.

Finally, they approached the highway after twisting and turning through trails in the forest, and Daryl asked Beth which way to go.

"I think it's that way." Beth pointed to the left, but Daryl turned right, sending her stomach twisting in knots.

Now, Beth was certain. This strange Dixon boy was taking her off somewhere to have his way with her and then murder her, or worse, keep her locked in a room as a prisoner for the rest of eternity. Why else would he turn the opposite way?

"Where are you taking me?!" Beth exclaimed.


	2. Chapter 2

"The roads flooded that way, we have ta' go around." Daryl said.

Beth was still panicking, feeling like she made the biggest mistake of her life shouting out to him when she was up in that tree. She didn't know if the road was really flooded, or if he was just saying that to keep her calm. She contemplated jumping off the bike and running, but realized she was still in the middle of nowhere and would just end up lost again. Beth closed her eyes and felt the breeze blowing through her long blonde hair as Daryl revved the engine and sped down the highway.

They reached the main highway and Daryl asked her which way to go again, and she pointed left, so Daryl turned onto the road and they continued until they reached the little dirt road that led to her new home.

"This road." Beth said.

Daryl slowed down and turned onto the road without saying a word.

Beth was questioning herself if it was a mistake showing this man the way to her house. Once he knew where she lived, and especially that she lived alone, he could come kidnap her at any moment. She brushed off the thought and told herself she needed to stop worrying and that there actually are good people out there.

A couple miles down the road and they approached Beth's quaint little farm. She seen Panda grazing nonchalantly in the ditch and frowned. When Daryl stopped the bike, she hopped off and stomped towards her, taking her dragging reins, tied her to the post and began unsaddling her. She was about to turn around and thank the man for giving her a ride home but as soon as she did, Daryl was already speeding off down the dirt road.

The glow from the red tail light faded off into the night, and the rev of his engine slowly disappeared as he drove off into the distance. Once that sound was gone Beth was alone in the dark with her horse and it was eerily quiet. She quickly threw the saddle off, leaving it on the ground, and led her horse to the gate of the pasture, releasing her with the herd. She kicked up and they all ran off into the dark and Beth stood alone in the silence.

She wondered why Daryl had drove off without saying anything, she wondered if she had been rude not to apologize before he left, but it's not like he gave her a chance. Beth walked toward her small house, reaching for the doorknob when she got there she realized the house was locked and searched her pockets for the key but it was no where to be found.

'I guess I'm going back to town," Beth sighed at the idea of the long drive and imagined her self plopping into bed and falling asleep. She sulked to her truck, opening the door and stepping up into it. She turned the ignition and put it into drive and began the long drive.

Beth was about to turn left onto the highway towards town, but at the last minute something in her brain told her to go right, to go thank Daryl for what he'd done for her. She turned right not fully aware of what she was doing or why she was doing it.

Before Beth knew it she was only a mile away from Daryl's 'cabin', and she was regretting her brains bad decision. She almost turned around, but figured she was this close she might as well finish what she had planned. It was probably the long walk in the forest earlier, and the lack of sleep that was impairing her judgement at the moment. She looked at her radio and the clock read 2:38AM.

'Oh, why? Why am I going to thank someone for giving me a ride home at two-thirty in the morning?' Beth thought. It's probably the opposite of thanking someone; waking them up in the middle of the night.

She came to a stop and shut her loud truck off about 30 yards from the building, sitting in it contemplating what to do. She decided against her bad decision and turned the key on her truck, in an attempt to flee from her situation. To top off all of today's bad luck, her truck wouldn't start and she noticed the gas gage was below empty. '

"I'm destined to make a fool of myself today," Beth put her head in her hands and sighed.

An abrupt knock on her window made her gasp and jump, Daryl was standing right outside her truck. Beth slowly rolled down her window and they made eye contact for about a minute before either said anything.

"Can I help you with somethin'?" Daryl asked in his husky voice.

"I.." Beth started but couldn't get the words out. "I just wanted to come say thanks but then I realized how late it was and then my truck ran out of gas…. I'm sorry!" Beth knew she was really being a bother now, with her truck out of gas she would need Daryl's help again.

"Ya' don't need ta' thank me," Daryl said, "I wasn't jus' gonn' leave ya' lost in the forest."

"Well, thank you." Beth said. "Now I have to bother you again, my trucks out of gas."

"I don't have any gas here, but I can give you a ride to town if ya' like."

Beth thought about the long drive on the back of Daryl's motorcycle, she decided it was the only feasible option. "That would be great!"

Beth got out of her truck and followed Daryl to his motorcycle, she watched him tweak a few things and attempt to start it for a few minutes before he got it running. Daryl put his cigarette out on his pant leg, put it in his pocket and put both hands on the handle bars to indicate he was ready.

Beth straddled the bike behind Daryl barely gripping his vest, until he revved out of the yard and she had to tighten her grip. They sped down the gravel roads to get to the highway, with every bump she had to take hold of his waist and she could feel him tense up. They got to the highway and it was a long smooth ride to town. Daryl finally found a gas station that was open, and Beth went inside and bought a gas can, then came back outside and filled it.

By the time Beth and Daryl got back to his little shack in the woods, the sun was beginning to rise. Daryl put the gas into Beth's truck for her, and threw the gas tank in the box.

"There ya go." Daryl screwed her gas cap back on.

Beth jumped in the driver's seat of her truck, started the engine and let it warm up for a minute. "Thank you once again, I'm sorry I was such a pain." Beth insisted.

"Was nothin'."

Beth smiled and started to drive away.

"Beth!" She heard his deep voice call just before she left his yard.

Daryl ran up to her truck. "Do me a favour an' stay out a' trouble, and don't come back here." He muttered and then turned around.

Beth was confused, and didn't know if she should be hurt, but she was. "What?"

"Girls like you don't come around Dixons." Was the last thing Daryl said before he walked back and entered his shack.

It was at that moment Beth knew she had to get to know this mysterious, caring man a little better.

—

The next morning Beth decided she was going to pack up her saddle bags, and ride over to Daryl's shack. She made a glorious lunch, with some extras for her saviour from last night, wrapped it up and stuffed it in her bags, along with some water, bug spray, and her cell phone.

This time around Beth was going to use her most trustworthy horse, Lena, seeing as how it turned out last time with Panda. Beth trusted Lena with her life and knew she wouldn't be left stranded with him. She saddled him up and threw her saddle bags on the back of her saddle and tied them down, and with a short step up, she was atop her trusty steed.

The pair headed down her driveway until they came to a main gravel road, and trotted off in the direction of the shack. They rode for a good 6 miles until they approached the familiar driveway she'd seen a lot of yesterday. Upon entering the gravel driveway, Beth seen a man standing by an old beat up Ford Bronco.

"How's about lunch to repay you for yesterday?" Beth hollered at him. But when the man turned around, it wasn't Daryl. Instead, she seen a taller man, with short, dark, blonde hair, and to Beth's surprise, he only had one hand.

"Well, hey cutie!" The strange, new man replied and began walking towards Beth. He had a deep voice and heavy southern accent.

Beth's stomach sank as she felt the aura of this man's presence and it wasn't a good one. He approached her and laid a hand on Lena's neck, making him snort in surprise.

"Nice horse ya' got here!" The man slurred as he gave a hard pat to Lena making him quickly side step away.

"Sorry, I was just looking for Daryl." Beth squeaked.

"What do ya' want with my baby brother?" The man questioned.

"Nothing, I was just gonna say hello on my way by." Beth pursed her lips, and as the man took a step closer Lena snorted and took an equal step away from him.

"My baby brother ain't around now but I'll take you up on that lunch," he demanded, "why don't you come down off your horse and stay a while?"

"I'd like to, but I've got someone waiting for me at home, I was just out for a quick ride." Beth retorted and stared at the ground, she could feel the man eyeing her up.

"I think you're lying." The man shot.

Beth's heart began to race and she told Lena to turn around. "I've really got to go."

"I think ya' can stay fer' a while." Just a moment before Beth could ask Lena to gallop away the man ran up and tightly grabbed her arm, making her fall to the side.

With one foot still in the stirrup, Lena was prancing around trying not to step on Beth but the excitement had him shaken up and he wouldn't stand still. Beth was laying on the ground with her foot above her still caught up, hooves dancing around right beside her head as she tried to free herself. In a split second, Lena turned the other direction and a big, hard hoof came crashing into Beth's head. Then, darkness ensued her.

—

The light, it's so bright.

Beth squinted her eyes, and slowly opened them. After her eyes focused she realized she was in a hospital bed, a TV in front of her, but it wasn't on, and her head, really, really hurt. Upon further examination of the room she noticed a man sitting in the chair beside her bed; it was Daryl, and he had tears running down his cheeks, he hadn't realized Beth was awake yet.

"Daryl?" Beth choked.

His eyes widened underneath his long brown hair as he looked at her, and he wiped the tears from his cheeks. He was wearing filthy jeans and a t-shirt along with the familiar black leather angel winged vest, shoulders slumped, hands in his lap.

"You okay?" The tone in Daryl's husky voice was beyond sympathetic, he was quiet and barely raised his head.

"My head hurts." Beth said as she touched it and felt it had a thick wrapping of gauze on it. "What happened?"

"I told you to stay away from me, Beth!" Daryl let out a small whimper when he said her name, then put his head in his hands.

"Daryl… I'm sorry." She pleaded.

"Ya' ain't got nothin' to be sorry about…" Daryl sighed.

"Can you at least tell me what happened? I remember an older man at your place.. Then I was on the ground.. Then everythin' went black." Beth thought. "Who was that man?"

"That's my brother Merle, he ain't good for nothin'," Daryl began, "when I got there, you were laying on the ground, out cold, and your horse wouldn't let Merle near ya'. He kept chargin' him and stompin' on the ground when he tried to get close to ya'."

Beth vaguely remembered what happened; she didn't remember Merle being the cause of her falling, but she did remember the bad feeling she had about him now.

"Where's Lena?" Beth asked.

"Who?"

"My horse, Lena, where is he?"

"I tied him up to a tree after I carried you into the truck." Daryl assured her.

Beth let out a sigh of relief, and continued her thinking, trying to put the pieces back together. "What's happened with Merle?" She asked.

Daryl stared at the floor. "He said ya' rode up lookin' for me, and then ya' fell off your horse."

More memories flooded Beth's head as she recalled Merle grabbing her arm. "He grabbed me." She said as she stared off at the wall.

"Piece of scum!" Daryl spat. "I knew he was lying! I'm gonna kill that sum' bitch!" Daryl was red with anger, stood up out of his chair and paced a couple times before sitting back down and running his hands through his hair.

"Why would he do that?" Beth asked

Daryl thought for a second, then began. "Merle ain't a good guy, Beth. He's been in and out a' jail ever since he was released from the military. He's on a role of doing stupid stuff, doesn't respect things or people, especially women… thinks he has a right or somethin'."

Beth's stomach churned. She didn't want to imagine what would have happened if Daryl hadn't shown up when he did. At that thought, the doctor walked in.

"Ah, you're awake my dear. How are you feeling?" The young doctor asked. Beth guessed he was in his late twenties, short and styled dark brown hair with a chiseled face and green eyes.

"My head hurts.. and I'm a little nauseous." Beth answered.

"I'll get you some medication for that, and I'd like to keep you overnight for observation. You got quite the bump on your head, thankfully there was open wound, so you didn't lose any blood or need stitches, just some bruising." He left the room.

Beth and Daryl sat in silence for a few moments, a nurse entered the room a short time later with some pain killers and anti-nausea medication for Beth. She also had a muffin for her and told her supper would be in a couple hours, informed Daryl he could stay until after supper, then left the room.

"Daryl?" Beth broke the silence after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"Can you do me another favour?"

"Anythin'."

Beth blushed. "I can't leave Lena tied up all day and night alone. Can you bring him back to my yard for me? And can you grab my phone out of my saddle bags so I can call my parents?"

Suddenly Daryl regretted his answer of 'anything', not knowing the first thing when it came to horses, but he would try for Beth. "Okay, I'll be back before 6." He said as he was walking out the hospital rooms doorway.

"Daryl?" Beth stopped him in his tracks. "Don't fight with Merle." She pleaded.

Daryl shot her a glance out the side of his eye from beneath his long hair, then looked at the floor and continued walking out of the hospital. Beth seen the anger in his eyes before, when she told him Merle had grabbed her, she didn't want anything bad to happen on account of her.

When Daryl got back to his shack, Merle wasn't anywhere in sight. He thought that was strange considering he had taken Beth to the hospital in his truck and knew he'd be wanting it back. He parked it, then proceeded over to Lena, where he stood still tied to the tree Daryl left him at.

Lena nickered when he seen Daryl, and nuzzled at his arm while he was untying him. 'How the hell am I supposed to get you home?' Daryl thought about the six mile trip to Beth's. He didn't know how it was going to end, but he decided to try and lead him from Merle's truck. Daryl knew he sure wasn't walking that far.

He walked Lena over to the Bronco and got in, putting his rope through the open window. Lena didn't seem to bat an eye when the loud engine started and Daryl proceeded to drive away; he kept up and stayed evenly beside the window.

The trip was uneventful, Lena and Daryl arrived at Beth's farm and the other horses nickered and approached the fence. Daryl led him to the barn, and did his best to unsaddle him, then let him out with the other horses, taking off his bridle, and they all ran off in a frenzy. Then Daryl found Beth's phone in her saddle bags along with a neatly packed lunch, thinking for a second, he then put the lunch back in her bags, and put everything in the barn, tucking Beth's cell phone into his pocket.

Daryl headed back to his shack and exchanged the Bronco for his bike, then made his way to the hospital. When Daryl reached the hospital he took Beth's phone out of his pocket and checked the time, it was nearing six o'clock. 'Shit!' Daryl thought as he parked his bike and hurried into the hospital.

Daryl neared Beth's room but stopped when he heard chatter from inside.

"You weren't wearing a helmet, were you?" A woman's voice said.

"No…" He heard Beth's soft voice, then it was silent for a moment.

A man spoke, "I don't want you going near that man again, Beth, Dixon's are nothing but trouble." He sounded older and his voice cracked at times, although it was soft.

Daryl's heart sank at that comment, and he turned around, not wanting to hear anymore. He left Beth's phone at the reception desk, and made his way out of the hospital, hopping on his bike and driving nowhere in particular.

Daryl sped down the highway, an unfamiliar road on the other side of town, and he told himself to man up, that this girl meant nothing to him. But, no matter how much Daryl told himself that, he couldn't get her out of his head, he couldn't shake the thought of her.

Daryl revved the throttle and continued down the road, away from that town.


	3. Chapter 3

The bar Daryl ended up in was small, dirty, and loud. He stopped driving when his gas gauge peaked just above empty, saving enough to get back to his cabin, he didn't want to go too far. The coke and whiskey he was paling was weak in comparison to the moonshine he was used to, but soon, Daryl had drank enough to alter his state.

In his drunkenness, he pondered why that young, naive girl would ever choose to go back his mess of a cabin, willingly, and alone. Just a small shack, out in the middle of the woods, miles from society. He wondered why she would care enough about his stupid act of kindness to go all that way to thank him. He wondered why she didn't turn around and run the second she seen Merle, assuming everyone knew the monster he was. In that moment, he regretted every thing about his decision to help her back in the woods when she was lost and alone. He imagined leaving her out there, to find her own way back to civilization, or possibly never, and dying alone, and scared, Daryl felt a twinge of emotion in his gut.

Merle had just gotten out of jail the day before, Daryl hadn't even seen him before Beth's encounter with him. He didn't owe her an explanation on why he didn't want her around, she should have just obeyed, like everyone else did without being told. Daryl knew Merle would be looking for trouble in his first days of freedom in a long time. He'd been locked up for three months, after stealing a truck, and got caught under the influence while driving said stolen truck. Merle got off lucky, considering the lawyer he could afford. He still had many hours of community service to do, and Daryl wondered if Merle would ever actually commit to them.

Daryl scanned the room, it was divided by the younger crowd, doing shots at the bar, dancing out on the floor, and the older people, eating wings at crowded tables, just being loud in general. A couple girls by themselves, that would never give Daryl the time of day, sat a few seats away from him, and then two younger guys approached them and sat down, ordering drinks. The night continued in this fashion with Daryl alone in the middle of the bar, no one dare approach him with the scowl painted on his face tonight.

The bartender called last call and Daryl heard moans from all around, and asked himself what he was going to do in his drunken state, so far from home, and nowhere to stay within walking distance tonight. An abrupt slam to his back jolted Daryl, and he turned around to see a man about his size, but younger, with spilled drinks on the floor, staring dumfounded. Without giving him much chance to react or say anything, Daryl took both hands and shoved him in the shoulders causing him to fall back about four feet. "You stupid?!" Daryl spat.

The man was right back where he originally stood, in front of Daryl, challenging him. "Back off man!" The stranger yelled, and soon all eyes were on them.

Daryl knew he wasn't in any state to fight, but that didn't change his attitude. He took a swing at the man's head, which in reality would have knocked him out cold, but Daryl's lack of judgement at this point earned him a fistful of air. Before the stranger could counter attack, someone held his arms back, while the bouncer, a much bigger man than Daryl, took hold of Daryl and escorted him out of the bar.

"Get off me!" Daryl protested, as he broke free of the grasp, the look from the bouncer told him to leave and not come back, and he strolled back into the bar.

Daryl knew what he was about to do was wrong, and at this point he didn't care if he ended up dead on the highway. But he strapped on his helmet, and tweaked his bike until it started, screeching his tires on his way out of the parking lot.

If there was a god out there, Daryl thought, he was looking out for him that night, because he made it to his cabin in one piece; he couldn't remember the last time he ever drove as drunk as he was now. Daryl wasn't famous for his random acts of kindness, but he did have common sense, and drinking and driving was a rare act for him.

Pulling his bike up to his shack, he noticed Merle's truck was back there again, and wondered why he'd wanna spend his newly found freedom in this dump anyway. Normally he'd be out with his latest friends, bar hopping, and getting high in someone's basement.

He kicked the stand of his bike out and propped it up just as Merle came out of the little shack.

"Baby brother!" Merle called out, and outreached his arms, as if asking Daryl for a hug.

Daryl, more sober from the long drive and fresh air, but still drunk nonetheless, cursed under his breath. "I ain't got nothin' ta' say to you." He slurred.

"What was that, baby brother?" Merle walked down the short steps and approached Daryl. His childish nickname was also wearing thin on him.

Daryl swerved around him, not in the mood or condition to get in an argument, knowing well enough arguments turn into fist fights with Merle.

Dawn was approaching, as Daryl could see the sun rising. He went into the little shack, grabbing a bottle of water, then returning to the yard and dumping it over his head; a poor attempt at sobering up.

"Rough night?" Merle watched him, and queried.

"Leave it alone." Daryl mumbled, sitting on the step, running his hands through his wet hair.

"So who's little blondie?" Merle said with a tone Daryl did not like.

"Nobody." Daryl shot the words at Merle, telling him it wasn't any of his concern.

"Ooh, you got a piece of that?!" Merle said slyly then broke into a chuckle. "So, my baby brother knows how to get it without my help after all!"

Daryl shot up, and shoved Merle in the shoulders hard with both hands and was about to yell, 'she ain't none of your concern', before Merle slammed a hard fist into his face making him fall flat onto the gravel.

…

Beth stared out the window of Maggie's car on the way back to her farm. Beth's sister Maggie had offered to stay with her for a few days and help her with the chores while she regained herself.

Maggie was a few years older than Beth, and had eloped, and moved away with her boyfriend Glen at the age of eighteen. Her parents weren't too fond of the idea, but liked Glen and gave Maggie the freedom she wanted. They lived in a bigger city about an hour away, and Beth was always anxious and excited for her sister to come visit her, so she seen the positive in this opportunity.

"Why doesn't dad like the Dixon's?" Beth used the security of the car to quiz her sister.

"They have a reputation, Beth." Her sister answered. Her hair was shorter than Beth's, and a dark brown, with green eyes instead of blue. Although, she was taller than Beth, she sported the same round face and smaller frame.

"What did they ever do that was so bad?" Beth wanted to know who she was dealing with.

"I 'dunno, Beth. Just bad stuff." Maggie was trying to end the conversation, she turned up the radio on that note.

Beth reached up and turned it back down. "Wasn't it daddy who taught us not to judge people?" She asked.

Maggie realized Beth wasn't going to give up. "When the Dixon boys were young, their mother burnt their house down with her still inside. Some people say she did it on purpose, but no one really knows."

Beth's eyes widened. Why would anyone think she did it on purpose?

Maggie continued, "After their mother died, the dad spiralled down a bad path, daddy told me about him. He used to know him in his drinkin' days, although daddy never got as bad as him. Daddy said he used to beat on his boys, and they're all scarred up from it. Apparently he was jailed for it too. Then when he got out he got all drugged up and drank until he died in front of them."

Beth's heart sank. Daryl was scarred, not only emotionally but probably physically too, by the sounds of it. He had probably never been shown compassion by another human being in his life. How old was he when his dad died? How long has he been on his own? Has he been living in that dusty old shack in the woods? Thoughts ran through her head for the rest of the trip.

When they arrived, Beth showed Maggie around her house, and decided which room she would stay in. They went and visited the horses, Maggie overjoyed at the sight of them after so long, and then Beth showed her the barn.

Maggie loved the sight of the red barn, it looked vintage but well kept, aside from a few boards that needed replacing, and the stall door could use fixing as well. "It's lovely, Beth! I think you found yourself a nice home." She praised Beth.

Beth blushed at her enthusiasm. She was glad her sister liked the place, she was one of the only opinions that mattered to Beth.

After a tour of the whole yard, they went inside and Maggie fixed up supper for them both, even though Beth insisted she didn't. She gave Maggie some blankets for her room, and they watched a couple movies before parting ways and getting to sleep.

Beth's head reeled with thoughts all night, she wanted to apologize to Daryl, she felt a need to reassure him he'd done nothing wrong, and she was eternally grateful for what he had done for her. Daryl had had enough awful things happen to him in his lifetime, he needed reassurance now, he needed it to be over.

…

Daryl awoke on the hard driveway, his body stiff, with gravel imprinted in his cheek. The sun was setting, so Daryl had been out all day. It wasn't the most comfortable sleep he had gotten, but it certainly wasn't his worst. He slowly rose to his feet, stretched, and listened to his bones crack. He remembered getting knocked out by Merle, in the wee hours of the morning, his truck wasn't in sight so he shouldn't have to deal with Merle anytime soon for now.

Daryl went into his cabin and fell asleep for a few more hours once his head hit the cushion of the old couch. When he awoke, he replayed the vivid dreams he had about Beth in his sleep; they were the only survivors in a zombie apocalypse and it always ended with Beth getting shot in the head, and Daryl crying, putting an arrow in the head of her shooter, though he could never tell who it was that shot her.

It was nearing three in the morning and Daryl was trying to think of an excuse to tell his boss about why he didn't make it into work that day. He'd been working as a carpenters apprentice for a guy Merle knew, it wasn't a bad job, and Daryl didn't want to lose it, he almost had enough saved up for a place of his own besides this dusty, old shack.

He'd finally gotten enough sleep and was fully sober, Daryl stayed awake until his alarm rang at six AM, and called his boss. This was the first time Daryl had not showed up for work without saying a thing to his boss, so he wasn't in too much trouble, his boss, Abraham told him not to let it happen again. Daryl was relieved he still had his job.

Now that that was taken care of, Daryl wished Merle would show back up, he'd like to give him a piece of his mind now that he was sober. He couldn't believe he let Merle get to him when he was drunk, there was no good way that it could have ended. If Merle doesn't like something you say or do, there's no talking it out, he's a fighter. Now that Daryl was sober he'd fight back for knocking him out yesterday and make Merle pay for what he'd done to Beth.


	4. Chapter 4

Daryl fired up his bike and headed to town on his search for Merle. He'd never actually gone looking for Merle with the intent to beat him up until now, and he wasn't sure what the outcome would be for him but right now he planned on at least trying to give him a good beating, he deserved nothing less.

The first places Daryl checked was the few bars in town, with no luck there he checked the liquor stores, gas stations, and then proceeded to drive by the few houses that he knew Merle had known people that lived in them. Still coming up empty, he drove a few more streets in town, then decided to go check their old fishing spot. As kids and teenagers, they could always be found at that spot in the river, drinking and smoking, maybe even trying to catch a fish or two.

The spot was about twenty miles from his shack, in the opposite direction of town, so he revved his bike down the highway, past the turn off to his cabin, and took a different dirt road, all the way down to the river. He seen Merle's old truck as soon as he cleared the last hill, and knew he'd find him on foot, you had to walk the last half mile of the trip through the bush.

Daryl parked his bike on the beaten path beside Merle's truck and proceeded down the worn path. He could tell the path hadn't been used in a year or more, except for the lonely trail of broken branches and upturned rocks Merle left today. In the small clearing at the end, he found Merle sleeping, smoke still in his hand, beer planted in the sand beside him, and a fishing rod with a bell attached not far away. The sight gave him an eery reminder of his dad the night he died.

Daryl approached his line and wiggled it making the bell ring, Merle's eyes jolted open and he was about to jump up when he seen Daryl.

"I hope you changed your tone, baby brother, ain't in no mood for your nonsense." Merle slurred. He wasn't drunk but he had definitely drank a beer or two, Daryl knew him well. Merle slumped back down and closed his eyes. He was abruptly jolted up by Daryl's fists on each side of his jacket, pinning him to the tree that shaded them. Merle was quick to respond with a knee to the stomach, which made Daryl lose his grip and Merle swung a nice punch to the side of his face, causing Daryl's ear to ring.

Daryl was ready and gave Merle an even harder punch, he'd now sport a matching black eye the same as he'd given Daryl before. He gave Merle a knee to the stomach and grabbed both his arms pinning him back against the tree.

"You ever touch her again…" Daryl hissed before throwing Merle on the ground. He was red with anger making him more violent and stronger than usual.

"I never touched nobody!" Merle panted, trying to throw Daryl off of him.

"Liar." Daryl growled, before threatening another punch to Merle's face, but backing off at the last second. The bell on Merle's line went off but he stayed on the ground and Daryl walked over to it, pulled the rod out of the holder, and threw it in the lake, before disappearing into the bush and back to his bike.

He skidded his tires sending gravel flying behind him as he sped off towards the highway, not completely satisfied with himself.

…

The fall air was getting crisp late in the afternoon as Maggie decided she wanted to go for a ride. Beth obliged, but said she was just going to watch this one, not feeling confident enough to get back on just yet after her last two accidents. Maggie saddled up Jinx, and they set up some barrels for her to mess around with, Jinx loved doing barrels. After she'd done the pattern a few times she took him for a good gallop down the field to blow off his energy.

"He's all tired out now, why don't you hop on for a quick ride?" Maggie pleaded Beth.

Beth frowned, but decided she did want to, because she hadn't rode Jinx in so long. She was glad Maggie took the steam out of the big Arabian first. They switched places and Beth practiced his rollbacks, sliding stops, and reverse arcs, before dismounting and putting away the steed.

The pair headed into the house and Beth was deciding what to make for supper when Maggie had a change of plans.

"Let's go into town for some drinks. You need a celebration for your new house!" Maggie exclaimed.

Beth crooked an eyebrow, queried the thought for a moment and said with hesitation, "I guess so."

The two girls got ready and both dolled themselves up a bit, Beth was wearing her tightest pair of jeans, a white, low-cut tank and her nicest cowboy boots with a blingy belt, she put her hair up in a messy ponytail. Maggie was wearing a green mid-thigh length dress with a pair of flats and put her hair in a bun.

They took Maggie's car into town and ended up in a bar called 'The Tap', one of the only nice bars in town, Beth had only been there the odd time. The girls sat down on two stools in the middle of the bar, soon after a couple younger guys approached to buy them drinks. Maggie hesitantly agreed, keeping in mind she wanted Beth to have a good time and maybe meet a guy, she kept her wedding ring in clear view and also kept her distance from the man beside her.

At some point, Maggie decided to ditch the bar, leaving Beth alone with the man she'd been hanging out with most of the night, and ditching the one she'd been avoiding. She thought it would be a good plan, if she wasn't around it should give them some good time together, and she didn't really care about the guy she ditched. Once outside, Maggie sat in her car and called Glen to inform him of her plans and what was going on, she always told Glen everything.

Brad, the younger man Beth had got left with was only a bit taller than Beth, he had defined arm muscles and a thick chest. She did find him attractive but she wasn't sure where she wanted this to go, and they certainly weren't hitting it off. She decided to give it a good try and the pair of them went out to the dance floor, an upbeat pop song came on and they did their drunkenly best to dance to the beat, which mostly ended up with Brad grinding all over Beth and her trying not to fall over.

Beth wasn't a drinker and she had definitely over done it and she was drunk. The song ended and Brad grabbed Beth's hand, leading her to the doors of the bar. He led her outside the bar until the lights no longer illuminated them, and pushed her up against the wall. Even if Beth didn't want this to happen she wouldn't have been able to say no at this point, in her drunken state.

Brad kissed Beth and she shoved at him with both hands, but he grabbed them and held her down with ease. He put both of her wrists into one hand and pulled her waist into him with the other.

Beth broke free from the kiss and shouted, "Brad, stop!"

He tightened his grip on her wrists and started putting his hand up her shirt, Beth struggled for freedom.

…

Daryl had a long day at work, and another few hours work on his bike after, he'd decided to go unwind in town. He was just pulling up to The Tap when he seen the familiar face and bunch of blonde hair he recognized smeared into the bar wall. It was hard to see who it was in the darkness but there was no doubt about it, that was Beth, and some guy was all over her.

"Brad, stop!" She shouted.

That set Daryl off like a mad man, he kicked his bike stand up and throwing his helmet on the ground he ran over to the pair. Daryl grabbed the back of the strangers shirt, ripping him off Beth, and without a question punched him straight in the nose.

Blood poured onto the ground, and the man ran into bar.

"Daryl!" Beth shouted, running up and embracing him from behind, as he still looked on at the kid who ran away.

Daryl tensed at the embrace, Beth held him for a good minute before she let go. He turned around when she did and muttered, "wha' tha' fuck you got yourself into now?"

"Some jerk I met in the bar." Beth said, rolling her eyes

"If he's a jerk, why you out here alone with him?" Daryl retorted.

Beth stared at the ground, and wobbled in her drunken state, "I don't know."

Daryl put his arm out to stabilize her, but didn't actually touch her, he just held it there for her to use at will.

"Can you gimme a ride?" Beth asked, looking up from the ground.

"Of course." Daryl answered.

With that, the pair walked over and mounted Daryl's motorbike, Beth clinging to his waist with both arms, behind him.

They had almost finished the long stretch of highway, to Beth's grid road turnoff, when Daryl began slowing his bike to turn, when Beth spoke.

"Where you going?" She asked, slightly sobered up from the long, windy drive.

"Your house." Daryl replied, assuming she was too drunk to realize where they were.

"I said I wanted a ride, Daryl, not for you to take me home." Beth rolled her eyes, although Daryl couldn't see.

Daryl's heart rate increased as he tried to piece together what she meant. Where was he supposed to take her? Where were they supposed to go?

"Take me somewhere." Beth pleaded.

With that, Daryl knew exactly where to go, and he revved his engine and sped back up the highway, past her road, and past his own road.


End file.
